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Joseph Compton, Captain Under Washington, Is Burled in Baptist Cemetery at TrentonBy MRS. MARY M. HUGHES, OXFORDXKicdietGEmValley Forge I What thought*what rjioLiona arts a\iikmed at the mention ot' that name. Sympathy aiul admiration, pity and love, tears autl smiles chase each other in rapid succession, as one in imagination goes over the history of I hat wintry encampment, Never lief ore was there sucli an exhibition at' I ho triumph of pal riot ism over neglect and want; of principle over physical sufferings ; of virtue over iliu pangs of sim ration. Tbnso tattered, haJf-clad, and bare font soldiers, won with wan I, Liking up their slow march for 1 he wintry forest, leaving their bloody Ic^limnmAl* on every foot of I ho fruir.cn ground tliry Irav-Horsed furnished one of the sublimes! seonc\s in history. A nmvmur, like the first cadences of a death song, h dim Ids their march, hut there is an under tone of a strange meaning and sublime, power. No outward davkiuv* enn quench tin* light of a groat soul—no moans of suffering drown the language. o£ a lofty purpose.Washington lioltlly asserted that history could not furnish another instance of an army suffering such Uncommon liftnRhipa and bearing them with I he. same patience and fortitude. To see men without, clothes to cover their niikrduers. without blankets to lie «ijj, without shoes Tor I lie want of which their marches might be traced hy the blood from their feet—nut! rdino.it as often without p.ovift'.cm as with them, marching thru tie fvost and snow and at Chmlmns taking up their winter quartern within a day's march of I he enemy, without a house or hot to cover them till thcv could Inn Id r.nd submitting without u murmur, is a pm of oE patietier and obedience, which in tny opinion, can scarce 1x3 paralleled.The work of hutting Hie army composed of 11,000 men was very interesting. Each regiment was divided into parties of twelve—each parlv to make its own but, which wcw to ho of log*, fourteen by :d\-tcon feet on the ground mid six and one-half feet high. The side* wore to be made light with clay, suirl Lhe L'oof with split slabs or such iiuv teriat us could bo obtained. To stimulate the parties to greater exertion Washington offered a reward of onedo!tar (o each man of that party which finished 11s but in the shortest Uiiui and the nnksl work man-like tiuintiov. Then the floors of the lints wore filled with straw tor beds for the soldiers.AND JOSmt COMPTON IlKLPJCn WITH THIS WORK.And then shellm* having been seen red, what of the food 1 - Imagine if you enn, the situation when it was discovered that “there was. not a single hoof of any kind to a! a ugh ter and not move than twenty-five bar-tcU of flour“ to feed 11,000 men. Nearly rtti the inhabit an Is in (Uo vicinity of Valley Forge wo to Tories and withheld fund which they could have furnished. Finding that neither offers of pay nor lb real 4 call hi wring \t from them Washington acting uiuler a resolution of congress, i as nod a proclamation in which he ordered nil the Tanners with in seventy miles of Valley Forgo to Hire.s/i mil half then- grain by I Ho first of February nr.d the el her half by the find of March under prnalty of having the whole seized na straw. The Tories refused to comply nnfc many of them defended their hams nr.d stacks with firn arms. Some, unable to do this set five to their grain to prevent its fading into the Americans.Starving BoltlicntA week pn.sKtl without a pound of flesh iicing brought into ramp.At last the bread gave. out. For covered day a the starving soldiers had r.ot- a morsel to eat. Bo few blankets had been supplied, the benumbed soldiers were compelled to sleep sitting nrouml their fires, to prevent freezing- Many were so naked Lb at lliey could not showUio solemn voico of someone engaged in prayer. Stealing quietly forward ha saw Washington o Horso tied to a sapling, and in a thicket, the chief himself, on his knees and with tears streaming daw it his cheeks, beseeching Heaven for his country and hi-s army. He fora God alone, tlmt strong hen i t gave8,77wnv.'nsWilHaiSAmciallotCto1JetfSel■iiVThe \ioov man who had witnessed t.hU spectacle, hurried homo and on opening the. door of his houses burst into teat's. Ilia wife am.azLul, asked what was tins matter. Hu told her wbnt he had seen and added “If there is any ono on this earth whom the Lord will listen to it is Gonge, WnaTingtou and 1 feel that under such a eonumudei* there enn he un j ^c.r doubt- of our eventually establishing I { our indopeudcncn and that God, in Qn his providence, has willed it ^o.’Mpp AND JOSEPH fOMFTON BELIEVED IN C;ont TOO — AND TOOK ITTS TROD DDKS TO HIM IN rUAYHfL.Sclnthemaelves outside Ihoir huts, butWhat a heritage those But Dr cannty people in whom the blood of thLs man flows possess today 1 Will there lie anyone whom Gruige Washing!lt;m would rather meet ul his birthday party next year than \ s those who spent tlial never to hehands ot thu flt;i,-gotten winter at Valley Fargowith him? Who withstood the attempt jo displace him as commander of Lhe Con I i net l lut Army—who withstood the ice and snow, naked-nes:;, hunger, pestilence- and rarnin-ed loyal lo him, iv« .say not.Hut since Hie flesh has been unable to withstand the passage of time, what w joy it is to know that the blood i.=. still here—the children's children for whmn JosephCompton was fighting,Trent on is to bo congratulatedaleHisi.RhipaS.tne-Jio\Vcihid s!tWeriug ««-av in the ficimi.v flb|U sil(, iiaa ]vi fll lwr )llll[st slleflslum*. Others would tilt from hut to hut with ontv a loose blanket toRJ-covet* their nakedness. Then small pox bvriko out.Amid this woe and suffering Washington moved with :i culm mioti but a In on kb; heart. Ho won I it have sunk undcv it had ho not pul his tniAt in a higher power thanmail.“One day a Quaker by the name of Potts, was strolling up a creek, when he heard in u i-eelisdod spotii hero. Trenton i3 to he congratulated Hint sho has taken such erne of tliat old baptist cemetery in which other brave men ami women aro lying among.’I whom arc Michael Pearce, soldier; ytcpli-en Hard, Bnpliftt preacher.Will any one knowing of the whereabouts of Hie childrcu's c Hi hi mi of Joseph Compton please notify the genealogical editor of lhe Hamilton Evening Journal, Mi's. Mary M. Hughes of Oxford, Ohio.BSiVoiI' m-
Newspaper Details
Hamilton Evening Journal
Hamilton, Ohio, US
Sat, Jan 02, 1932
Page 14
Full Page
Clipped by
Cincinnati A.
OH, USA 06 Feb 2021
Other Publications Near Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton Evening Democrat
Hamilton Daily Democrat
Hamilton Weekly Hamilton Telegraph
Daily Telegraph
Hamilton Guidon
